Exploring A Hidden Valley

The Plan.

My skidoo was fully functional by the Victoria Day Weekend.  I paid a local Inuk mechanic to clean the engine, replace several engine parts, and add several extra parts I bought on the internet.  JF installed the new plastic right hand deflector and rear-view mirror.  I was glad to have my skidoo “back in action” because I missed using it.  After three weeks of waiting, I was more than ready to take her out for a spin. 

            

A month had already passed since my last outing and the ice was beginning to melt.  I was already hearing from people that cracks & slush puddles were beginning to form.  The snow in town was also melting but at a much faster rate.  The skidoo trails were disappearing and the roads were turning into mud paths.  In another week, I would have to leave my skidoo out in the bay and walk up two hills to get to my place.

            

I cancelled cadets for the Victoria Day Weekend because most families would be out participating in the annual fishing derby.  The cadets asked me if I was going to participate like I did last year.  (JF & I travelled to Ikpikituarjuk, a popular fishing lake 105km to the south of the community.  Click to (re)read: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4.)  I replied that I was going to explore another area of land over the long weekend.  The cadet corps was already going to Ikipituarjuk at the end of the month so I didn’t feel like going there twice.  (More about this trip in a future post).

            

I already knew where I wanted to go; the valley I passed on my way to the end of Strathcona Sound.  I hoped the ice in the Sound was still thick & solid a month later.  I set my day excursion for Saturday, May 20.  It took me an hour to get ready.  I packed whatever I needed, from food to medical supplies to gas for my skidoo.  To avoid excessive sweating, I wore less layers underneath my Canada Goose parka.  May is a warmer month compared to April.  I informed my coworkers about my day excursion and performed my final checks before driving north towards Victor Bay.  (For my final checks, I make sure I’m carrying a GPS, SPOT device, firearm, and toilet paper).

            

Ice road heading north.

On a map, the valley is 53km to the northeast of Arctic Bay, but I would have to drive about 70km to get to my final destination.  On Google Maps, the valley is only 10km in length, starting from Strathcona Sound, and appears to stop at a point where the mountains come together.  This made me think that a waterfall may be there.  There was only one way to find out.  I picked a great day to go driving.  The sun was shining and the skies were blue.  My skidoo, fresh-out-of-the-garage, was working smoothly.  I drove onto the ice road and followed it to the co-worker’s cabin.  There road was mostly smooth but there were a few patches of slush. 

            

My skidoo with Graveyard Point in the background.

Sunbathing seal.

I drove off the ice road and was about to turn towards Graveyard Point when I noticed a small black spot on the ice.  It was a seal.  I cautiously drove closer to the seal to get a better view.  I stopped my skidoo and took out my camera.  I photographed the animal before driving a little closer.  There were actually two seals sunbathing and they disappeared down a seal hole when they heard the skidoo engine.  I briefly inspected the seal holes and then continued driving.

            

Seal holes.

Ice "minefield". (Bottom of picture).

I left Victor Bay and continued driving north towards Cape Strathcona.  My plan was to turn right upon reaching the Cape and then follow the coastline until I reached the valley.  I kept to the left, not wanting to enter the same “minefield” that caused my skidoo to tip over in April.  The further I drove, the more it looked like the “minefield” stretched all the way to Cape Strathcona.  In the end, I turned around and headed back the way I came, but towards Graveyard Point.  I may have wasted some gas, but I still have two red gas cans full of fuel.  And yes, they were securely attached to the skidoo. 

            

I didn’t have to drive all the way to Graveyard Point.  Instead, I was able to enter Strathcona Sound by driving ride down the middle of the frozen passageway.  I suppose that was risky because I was the furthest away from land in all directions.  Thankfully, the ice was still thick.  I drove onward, slowly steering my skidoo to the left.  The ice became smoother, enabling me to increase my speed.  Eventually, I passed Nanisivik on my right side.  I could just barely make out the buildings on the other side.  There weren’t any cracks in the ice until I passed Nanisivik.  The cracks were small but I still took notice.

            

Entrance.

The entrance to the valley appeared on my left.  A very tall & jagged looking mountain appeared in front of me.  I drove just a few feet into the valley and stopped my skidoo.  There were large patches of clear ice stretching from one end to the other.  I walked around for a few minutes and mentally mapped out a route for my skidoo.  I didn’t want to drive onto a patch of ice and then spend the rest of the day spinning in circles.  I passed the large ice patches and saw that most of the brown land in the valley was exposed.  The only snow and ice that was left were in the outwash riverbeds.  I would have to drive very carefully to not damage my skis.  From what I could see, the exposed ground contained an infinite amount of small pebbles and large plants.  I could drive over the plants but it would be best to avoid the pebbles.

            

I drove up a small hill next to an opening that led up to a small frozen waterfall.  I turned off the skidoo engine and stretched my legs.  I had been driving for over an hour and I felt I deserved a snack & short break.  I hiked up a hill and found a flat rock to sit on.  A seagull suddenly appeared in the sky as I began to eat a granola bar.  It landed near me and eyeballed the food I was consuming.  I was surprised to see a seagull had followed me this far away from Arctic Bay.  And then another one appeared.  And another.  In total, five seagulls swooped in from the skies above and landed near me.  They were all expecting me to drop some food for them.  That wasn’t going to happen. 

            

I got as close as I could to the frozen waterfall, took a picture of it, then turned around and photographed the valley beneath me.  The seagulls had flown away, upset that I wasn’t feeding them.  Using my binoculars, I scouted a path deeper into the valley for my skidoo.  I would basically follow the ice & snow in the outwash.  I slowly climbed down the rocky hill, fired up my skidoo and continued my journey.

            

Narrow passageway.

Dead End.

I came to a point where the mountains on both sides of the valley narrowed significantly.  I decided to leave my skidoo behind and walk the rest of the way.  The only sound I could hear was that of my boots crunching on the snow.  I turned a left corner and saw the dead end in the distance.  There was a frozen waterfall there.  A tall mountain & ridge line surrounded the waterfall.  I noticed an inukshuk to my left as I neared the dead end.  Someone was here before.  I set my gear down and cautiously walked up to the waterfall.  There was a large gap in the middle of the frozen formation and I could hear steady trickles of water.  I was able to walk up to the wall of rock and photograph what was behind the frozen ice formations.  I didn’t dare walk behind the waterfall because I thought it could collapse at any moment.  After photographing the waterfall from several angles, I ate some more snacks and relaxed in silence.

            

Frozen waterfall.

Behind the frozen waterfall.

Looking up.

The silence was short lived because my thoughts were interrupted by a loud squawking raven.  The raven was up high, flying from one cliff to the next.  I’m not sure why the raven was so annoyed?  Or excited?  Maybe the bird saw me as an interloper.  Eventually, the raven disappeared from view, but the loud squawks continued for some time.

            

Inukshuk

Following my skidoo tracks to
Strathcona Sound.

I placed a small rock on the inukshuk and walked back to my skidoo.  I refueled it and started the engine.  I followed my skidoo tracks all the way to Strathcona Sound.  I took a picture of the ice crack I passed before entering the valley.  I drove towards the Nanisivik Port Facility on my way back to Arctic Bay.  There was no one there when I drove by.  The summer construction crews will be arriving in June.  I stayed to the left, driving towards Graveyard Point.  The drive took longer than I thought because they were many snow drifts.  It was like driving around moguls.  The snow eventually smoothed out when I neared Graveyard Point and I followed a skidoo trail to Victor Bay.  I cut across the bay and found the plowed ice road.  I followed it until the end, then continued along the road to Victor Bay.  I was home by 7pm.

            

Ice crack.

My skidoo in Strathcona Sound, facing west, towards Nanisivik & Arctic Bay.

My day excursion was a success.  I saw another corner of Baffin Island and my skidoo didn’t break down.  This would be my last solo day excursion until the fall.  I spent the rest of the long weekend finalizing my final exams.   

Ice road facing south, towards Arctic Bay.